survive

verb

sur·​vive sər-ˈvīv How to pronounce survive (audio)
survived; surviving

intransitive verb

1
: to remain alive or in existence : live on
2
: to continue to function or prosper

transitive verb

1
: to remain alive after the death of
he is survived by his wife
2
: to continue to exist or live after
survived the earthquake
3
: to continue to function or prosper despite : withstand
they survived many hardships
survivor noun

Examples of survive in a Sentence

I don't see how any creature can survive under those conditions. bacteria that survive in extreme temperatures Only a few written records survive from those times. These ancient practices still survive in some regions. Some of the original bridges survive. Many businesses are struggling to survive in today's economy. Only his son survived him. She survived her husband by only a few years. He survived a political scandal and was elected to the state legislature. The company survived the recession.
Recent Examples on the Web The younger brother was expected to survive, officials said. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 His 18-year-old brother was injured but was expected to survive. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2024 Kittens may also be more likely to survive as winters become less harsh. Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024 Medically reviewed by Janet Taylor, M.D. Black communities have experienced untold trauma and despite our best efforts to heal—namely through creativity and determination to survive—sometimes pain persists. A. Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez, Parents, 23 Mar. 2024 Of his entire family — his mother, father, two sisters and brother — Greenfield was the only one to survive. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 What made the trilogy so stunning and atypical as a sci-fi story was the fact that Liu wasn’t interested in interrogating whether humans deserved to survive. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024 Satellite images showed armored Israeli vehicles surrounding the hospital on several sides, and residents said the raid had introduced a new, destabilizing chapter of violence into northern Gaza at a time when people were already struggling to survive. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Chad Kuhlman said the passengers were lucky to survive. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'survive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to outlive, from Anglo-French survivre, from Latin supervivere, from super- + vivere to live — more at quick entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of survive was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near survive

Cite this Entry

“Survive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/survive. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

survive

verb
sur·​vive sər-ˈvīv How to pronounce survive (audio)
survived; surviving
1
: to remain alive : continue to exist
2
: to remain alive after the death of
survived by three children
3
: to continue to exist or live after
survived the flood
survivor noun

Medical Definition

survive

verb
sur·​vive sər-ˈvīv How to pronounce survive (audio)
survived; surviving

intransitive verb

: to remain alive or in existence : live on

transitive verb

1
: to remain alive after the death of
his son survived him
2
: to continue to exist or live after
survived the stroke
survival noun
survivor noun

More from Merriam-Webster on survive

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